I am well aware of the stereotypes against my generation: Executives under age 35 are attached to smartphones, spend inordinate amounts of time on social media, and prefer FaceTime to face time. But I balk at the assumption that we don't understand the importance of a handshake—especially in this business, where my father and grandfather taught me that insurance is about relationships.

We are at a pivotal and exciting moment as the rapid adoption of new technology spreads throughout the insurance business. Celent's recent study estimates that the insurance industry will spend $154.5 billion on IT systems and technology by the end of 2015, an annual increase of approximately 5%.

As a result, insurance professionals are spending more time on conference calls and webinars instead of spending meaningful time with their clients.

I've found that our most successful offices put a premium on relationships. I studied the numbers across the 45 Burns & Wilcox offices throughout North America over the last three years and reached out to the leadership of five of our top offices. These offices are geographically diverse, with unique specialties based on the location of the office and the expertise of their professionals. They all share a common trait: They pair technology with significant investments in personal relationships and deep expertise.

These offices excel in combining the latest tools with their own experience and intelligence. They apply data from catastrophe modeling to the years of working with brokers and agents during hundreds of storms. They use mapping and thermal imaging along with their in-market knowledge to evaluate vacant buildings or new construction. In fact, they know the topography of the area because they've walked it. And most importantly, they invest in relationships with retail brokers and agents and insurance companies to understand the needs of both their clients and carrier partners.

Although it's true that the importance of technology to our industry cannot be overstated, let's not forget that insurance has been and will always be a relationship business.

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